Metis
by MZabini
Summary: Life had a way of messing things up. Honestly, she should have seen this coming. She had been a smart ass for a little too long, someone needed to knock her off her high horse. She just hadn't imagine it would be quite so painful and confusing. She had tried her best to preserve but its hard when you get involved with the wrong sort of people. Life had taken a cliché turn.
1. Chapter 1

She was attempting to clam the hot burst of bubbling rage inside her when she first saw him. She was taking long breaths and her head was swimming. Her palms were covered in sharp moon shaped marks that would stay for a few hours at least; courtesy of her nails. She also knew she must look like a sight for sore eyes. More than a few people have very visibly and dare she say in a very cliché fashion done a double take after glancing at her face. She was still stewing somewhat pleased with the reaction of people and yet also irate as the unnecessary fearful glance. She was marching steadily trying to forget the events that had taken place just a few hours ago with little success.

That's when she took a wrong turn and quite literally stomped into what looked like a torture session. Why they were doing it out in the open, where anyone could stumble upon them, was beyond her. And yet here she was startled out of her fury as she watched a gang of men all dressed in black; beat and pull, spit and jeer at a lone man in the middle.

She was frozen for a moment, perhaps for a moment too long. The man being beaten looked up to meet her eyes. They were green. Both of his eyes were swollen and the skin around it was a shade of blue and black that she had only seen when she attempted to experiment and mix paint together. He attempted to move towards her, alerting the rest of the gang. They stopped and looked to see what had caught his attention. All but one. There was one member still who continued to punch the member, again and again, and again. His hands glistening with the blood of the victim that was strangely beautiful and tantalizing. A voice whispered in her head at how beautiful his hands were. How it would look if she were to attempt to paint it, how it would feel to capture the colors and the details on her canvas.

No, she shook her head. Her breath caught in her throat. She took a breath and looked around wildly. The men all had a look of surprise on their faces, slowly turning to one of amusement and mirth. Her chest shook, her eyes watered at the turn of their expressions. She chanted in her head to keep calm, to not show any weakness. Hadn't she practiced in the mirror at home after the first time she had cried publicly, after the first time she felt like a weakling? Hadn't she buried the ability to cry? Hadn't she taught herself to be pristine and classy and beautiful and -

She stumbled backwards unconsciously. The guy who was beating the green eyes man had finally stopped. He looked up his face twisted into confusion and a little bit of anger, as he inquired why everyone had stopped. Finally, he looked up, straight at her slowly and deliberately. Like a prey discovering a new predator. This time her breathe didn't catch and her hands didn't shake. Her head didn't swim and she didn't get dizzy. No, this time she was frozen, or perhaps petrified would be the best word.

He was all sharp cheekbones and dark hair and he was mesmerizing. She stood up straighter. He was intimidating but he wouldn't shake her. No. She was too strong for him. His gaze sharpened at this and he bared his teeth before he smiled. He smiled a smile; so ugly, so vile and so repulsive, she felt bile rising at the back of her throat.

After chanting she wasn't scared for the hundredth time, she shook her head again. Who was she kidding? She was scared, oh so scared, she didn't even care if she looked less than pristine and classy.

"Help. Help me, please. Save me" the beaten and bruised green eyes man begged as he once again crawled towards her.

She broke out of her trance. Her brain took a second to process what was happening and in a whirl, she did the only thing smart thing that, she should have done some three minutes ago, she ran.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

She heard a few surprised whelps and chuckles as she ran. In other situations, she probably would have fumed at anyone laughing at her expense. However, they weren't just anyone but thugs from a gang that were set out to catch her. With this thought and their footsteps thundering behind her, she ran. She ran fast and hard.

Her lungs gasping for breath and her legs begging for mercy. She ran to the main street that she had previously been wandering.

It was empty. It was quiet. How had she not noticed this when she was storming around before?

Oh, that's right she had been too stupid and too enraged to be aware of her surroundings.

She briefly contemplated yelling for help but something told her it would be of no use. The shops around were all closed, the blinds drawn and the doors firmly closed. It would welcome no visitors. There were no vehicles, no cars and no bikes. No possible way to make a gateway. There was no one to be seen walking the streets. No sulky teenagers or arrogant middle-class businessman, no mothers with their wailing kids or old folks with their disapproving gazes.

She looked to the right and to the left as she was running. Another stupid decision that she made in the last few minutes. In her panic and frustration, she managed to trip. She went down hard and fast, her right foot caught underneath her, bent to an uncomfortable angle.

Her head banging on the ground leaving an annoyingly persistent sharp ringing in her ears. She could taste the metallic taste of blood on her tongue. A shiver went down her spine. She never was good with blood. It made her flighty and left her stomach with butterflies.

It was a weakness that she couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she tried.

She lay still on the ground with ringing ears and blood on her lips staring at the charming evening sky. It had been an overly hot day but the cool breeze of the evening air had made it a bit more bearable. Her vision was soon filled with men that had caught up with her. They inspected her, eyes suspicious and some mouths grim while others still amused.

A murmuring began around her and the fear that had temporarily fled her came back full force. Her head cleared and once again she realized the severity of the situation. Foot twitching, she attempted to stand up or at the very least sit up. An overwhelming pain went up her right foot and she just managed to stifle her groan. Just as she was about to attempt to stand up once again, she was unceremoniously hauled off the ground rather roughly. This time she couldn't muffle the small scream of pain that escaped her lips.

The boss or so she assumed stood in front of her. His eyes were rather bright, she was startled to see. She was expecting cold dead eyes that seemed to be a must for every villain of every story. However, his eyes were alive and sharp. They were dancing with the lights of the nearby outdoor bollard lamp posts. She couldn't determine if they were blue or green. Her brain was too fuzzy to function that.

As she watched he reached out with his hands to grab her hair. He pulled tightly, roughly. When he withdrew his hands, she could see the dark liquid that was smeared across his palms. It was considerably fresher than the rest that climbed up his arms. She briefly wondered, what happened to the green-eyed man they were beating just a few moments ago.

"Well, well, what do we have here. Who are you, little girl ?" his voice pierced through her voicing.

In her haze, her thoughts once again began to stray. This was turning out to be just like the cheap novel she used to giggle over back when she was fifteen. Even then, the evil villain had referred to the damsel in distress as a little girl. Maybe it was a universal thing she rationalised.

A chuckle once again broke through her thoughts. She had to stop doing that and start focusing, but it really was hard to keep in touch with reality when her eyelids were heavy and sleep was calling out to her so sweetly.

"She fell down pretty hard".

" I think she has a concussion, and possibly a broken foot."

"It's nearly seven. Ditch the girl, we have more pressing matters to attend to".

"Fox, drop her off to the hospital, the rest of you, let's move".

The words, the voices seemed to fade away as her eyelids shut. A brief smile took over her face. She hadn't slept for two nights, rushing to complete her paper (on a topic she couldn't remember for the love of God,) that she hadn't managed to hand it in anyway. She was glad because she could finally sleep. Even though a voice at the back of her head was telling her she wasn't sleeping but probably passing out.


End file.
